Question

which of the following characteristics is associated with cancer cells?

they exhibit density - dependent inhibition when growing in culture.

they evade the normal controls that trigger programmed cell death.

they must be attached to a substrate to divide in culture.

they stop dividing in culture when growth factors are depleted.

Explanation:

Cancer cells have the ability to evade apoptosis (programmed cell death). Normal cells exhibit density - dependent inhibition (stop growing when they form a single layer in culture), need a substrate for division (anchorage dependence), and stop dividing when growth factors are depleted. Cancer cells lose density - dependent inhibition, do not strictly require a substrate (can be anchorage - independent to some extent in abnormal growth), and can keep dividing even with limited growth factors in some cases.

Answer:

They evade the normal controls that trigger programmed cell death.